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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →All seven of 23andMe’s independent directors resigned effective immediately on September 17, 2024. In a joint letter to CEO and board chair Anne Wojcicki, they said they had not received a fully financed, fully diligenced proposal they considered actionable and in the interests of non-affiliated shareholders. They also cited disagreements over the company’s direction and Wojcicki’s concentrated voting power.
What the directors said
The seven directors—Roelof Botha, Patrick Chung, Sandra Hernández, Neal Mohan, Valerie Montgomery Rice, Richard Scheller and Peter J. Taylor—signed the letter together. They wrote: “After months of work, we have yet to receive from you a fully financed, fully diligenced, actionable proposal that is in the best interests of the non-affiliated shareholders.” The letter, reproduced in an SEC-filed company exhibit, records their assessment; it does not independently establish whether a proposal met those standards.
The directors said they believed the board and its special committee had allowed ample time for the process, but saw no notable progress in the preceding five months. They said the committee would not consider further extensions and the board agreed. Their resignation was tied to that impasse and to a broader disagreement about 23andMe’s strategic direction.
Why governance was part of the dispute
The directors paired support for 23andMe’s mission and personalized health and wellness offering with disagreement over its future. They also pointed to Wojcicki’s concentrated voting power. In their words, they believed resignation was preferable to “a protracted and distracting difference of view” with her over the company’s direction.
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Those are the signatories’ stated reasons, not a separate finding about the merits of either side’s position. The letter connects the dispute to a possible take-private proposal and the special committee’s process; it does not say a buyout had been completed or accepted. The available primary materials do not provide a separate quoted response from Wojcicki.
What happened to the board afterward
After the seven departures, Wojcicki remained the sole director. Company records say 23andMe appointed three new independent directors in October 2024. The resignations therefore created an immediate board vacancy, followed by appointments the next month—not a permanent absence of independent directors.
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How the later sale fits the timeline
On June 30, 2025, 23andMe announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri had approved a $305 million sale of substantially all of the company’s assets and ongoing operations to TTAM Research Institute, led by Wojcicki. The announcement said the transaction was expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to customary closing conditions, and described commitments on customer choice about research participation and additional privacy safeguards. That announcement documents court approval, but does not by itself establish when—or whether—the sale ultimately closed.
The 2025 bankruptcy sale was a later chapter, not the outcome described in the September 2024 resignation letter. The two events should not be treated as evidence that the directors’ proposed-process concerns were resolved in any particular way.
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- REVIEW IMPORTANT TEST INFO: There is a lot to consider with genetic testing. Before purchasing, review important information about Genetic Health Risk* and Carrier Status* reports at 23andme. org/test-info. A portion of your purchase may be eligible for FSA/HSA reimbursement***.
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Market context on the resignation date
TechCrunch reported that 23andMe’s market capitalization was $173 million at the September 17, 2024 close. That is a dated market figure, not a reason the directors gave for resigning.
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